Alex Dabek
Bolt Burdon Kemp
Alex Dabek is a lawyer for Bolt Burdon Kemp who is fastidious with detail and really thinks through her cases but also pragmatic. She is easy to work with and has a kind and empathetic manner with clients. She is also a member of Spinal Injury team, within BBK.
Alex specialises in complex claims involving spinal cord injuries sustained as a result of clinical negligence and has been recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ within the clinical negligence sector by the Legal 500 2023. She also acts for people who have sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of accidents. Alex has represented many vulnerable clients, including those who lack mental capacity and children.
Alex is immensely passionate about her work. Improving the quality of life for her clients and getting the best results for them is what motivates her the most. Alex’s priority is to ensure that her clients are fully compensated for their injuries and the financial losses they have suffered and that their claims are concluded swiftly.
Alex is frequently instructed in relation to clinical negligence claims including:-
negligent delay in diagnosis and treatment of Cauda Equina Syndrome (also known as CES)
negligent delay in diagnosis and treatment of spinal infections such as discitis and/or spinal abscess
surgical errors including incorrect surgical approaches and wrong level surgery
failure to act on post-surgical complications including epidural haematomas and infections
spinal injury following epidural injections
Examples of the notable cases that Alex has been involved in include:-
Acting for a client who developed Cauda Equine Syndrome following spinal surgery at a private hospital. Our client was left with seriously reduced mobility as well as permanent bladder and bowel dysfunction. The case involved a number of complex issues and the private hospital strongly defended the claim. Alex was able to secure some much needed mobility equipment for the client in the early stages of the claim to allow her a greater degree of independence. Alex fought hard to achieve a £1 million settlement which allowed our client to return to a quality of life as close as possible to that which she had before her injury.
Acting for a client who was paralysed as a teenager due to negligence when carrying out an operation to correct scoliosis, a curvature of the spine. This case was fiercely fought by the Defendant NHS Trust but despite this we went on to secure a £5.3 million settlement for our client.
Representing a client after a road traffic collision, which resulted in her sustaining urological dysfunction and a conversion disorder manifesting itself as a spinal cord injury. This complex case was robustly defended by the insurers, who placed an initial value of £20,000 on our client’s injuries. We successfully achieved a £2 million settlement for our client.
Clinical negligence claim for an elderly client who became paralysed during spinal surgery to remove a calcified disc prolapse. Liability was fiercely defended by the NHS Trust. Mindful of our client’s advanced age and the need for support, we were able to negotiate a £1 million settlement (capitalised) which allowed our client to fund her complex care needs and allowed for substantial adaptations to be made to her family home.
Alex proudly supports a number of charities helping those with spinal cord injuries.
Alex works very closely with Horatio’s Garden, a national charity creating and nurturing beautiful gardens in NHS spinal injury centres to support everyone affected by spinal injury. She regularly attends and has spoken at a number of fundraising and patient events organised by the charity. She has really enjoyed fundraising for Horatio’s Garden, including doing a bicycle ride and one mile Swim Serpentine challenge in September 2019 raising much needed funds to help maintain the gardens and fund therapies for those with spinal cord injuries.
Alex also supports and works closely with the Spinal Injuries Association whose services and support are invaluable to people who have sustained spinal injuries.
Alex has organised a number of charity events and helped to put together the firm’s Wheelchair Awareness Day during which able-bodied lawyers were given an opportunity to experience the challenges encountered by wheelchair users on a daily basis.
Alex is an active member of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). As the Secretary to the APIL’s Special Interest Group for Spinal Cord Injury, she has organised a number of training sessions for other APIL members on issues pertinent to spinal injury claims.
Media Contributions and Commentary
How can employers support workers with spinal injuries? – Personnel Today
Avoiding Mistakes – PI Focus
Professional Memberships
Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) – Senior Litigator
Secretary of APIL’s Special Interest Group for Spinal Cord Injuries
